Re: 200$???

Apparently it's standard for the high end dining options to be extra on ships like this. The regular dining options on the ship look really good though.

See, I have never seen this ever. I've been on family vacations on Carnival, Norwegian and Holland America cruises and at no point did we have to pay more to eat at a specific "restaurant" inside the ship; everything save for soda, bottled water and alcohol was included in the base cruise reservation price -- that's including room service. How else would my cousins and I be able to order everything off the room service menu one night and get it all dropped off to our room in less than 30 mins without having to drop a penny? (Wasn't charged to stateroom either. That would have been hell to pay with my parents.)

Re: 200$???

Re: 200$???

Originally Posted by kitt kat

Well, no shit. It's part of the "package."

See, I have never seen this ever. I've been on family vacations on Carnival, Norwegian and Holland America cruises and at no point did we have to pay more to eat at a specific "restaurant" inside the ship; everything save for soda, bottled water and alcohol was included in the base cruise reservation price -- that's including room service. How else would my cousins and I be able to order everything off the room service menu one night and get it all dropped off to our room in less than 30 mins without having to drop a penny? (Wasn't charged to stateroom either. That would have been hell to pay with my parents.)

Re: 200$???

Looks like a standard cruise to me. Basically, it's a Carnival Cruise with bands...and yeah, the price is way more than normal. We had a three night, four day cruise to the Bahamas for our honeymoon; price was right around $600. Bill at the end of the cruise was about $1000, which included all of our shore excursions, on board alcohol, steakhouse dinner, and the taxes and gratuity (this is common, btw...)

They will serve three meals a day in the main dining room (and sometimes a late night fourth meal). You will be able to order anything on the menu. No charge for these meals, but if you order wine or drinks with dinner, they will charge those to your room. Food isn't great but it's not inedible.

There is usually also a buffet open around the same times (or 24 hrs depending on the cruise), same deal (no charge for anything but booze).

Your booze is not covered, nor are any of the excursions, spa treatments, etc.

You also may be charged for some of the onboard events (like wine tastings)

If you want a decent meal, the "cover charge" restaurants are pretty good. We had a great steak dinner on ours, and it was like eating at Ruth Chris.

Originally Posted by RandyInHeaven

Devin - how does it feel to know that there are still more women in the world that would fuck me at this very moment than would fuck you?

Re: 200$???

It seems as though the Dining policies for SS Coachella are fairly consistent with the standard policies of this particular ship.

Celebrity Silhouette Dining

Silhouette's banquet hall is the Grand Cuvee Dining Room, a cavernous space that features flying buttresses, a room-filling chandelier resembling an iridescent jellyfish, and a shimmering metallic wine tower that holds some 1,800 bottles. (Cuvee means vat or tank in French wine-speak.) Credit designer Adam Tihany, the man behind New York City's Per Se and Vegas' Seablue, with creating one of the most striking main dining rooms at sea.

For dinner, passengers can opt for early (6 p.m.) or late (8:30 p.m.) set seating or go with "Celebrity Select Dining," which offers open dining between 6 and 9:30 p.m. Passengers choosing the flex-dining option can pre-reserve space (online up to four days before sail date or while onboard) or walk in at any time during the allotted hours.

For vegetarians, there are always meat-free options like eggplant napoleon or veggie paella. Lower-calorie dishes, like baked fish and sugar-free cakes, are designated with a little heart. If nothing on the rotating menu suffices, "always available" choices, from soups to desserts, include escargot, lobster bisque, steak, chicken and creme brulee.

Passengers can bring their own wine onboard, but there's a $25-per-bottle corkage fee to drink it in the dining room -- the highest in cruise travel.

The dining room is open-seating for breakfast and lunch. Classic dishes like eggs Benedict and made-to-order omelets are served for breakfast. The lunch menu offers the typical soups (including a chilled soup), salads and hot entrees. Passengers can also order items like burgers and dogs from the grill.

Those looking for food without fanfare should head to Silhouette's top-ship 24-hour buffet, the Oceanview Cafe. The ovular space features various "action stations" positioned along the loop -- pizza, pasta and stir-fry bars; Asian (sushi) and British comfort food (fish 'n' chips, shepherd's pie); sandwiches; and a build-a-salad bar. In our opinion, Celebrity's buffet, featuring an excellent range of International cuisine and standards, is the best in big-ship cruising.

For dinner with a view, head up and sternward to the top-ship Lawn Club Grill, a Silhouette exclusive where passengers wear the aprons and flip the filets. The 58-seat venue is a $40-per-person concept that marries a cooking lesson and all-you-can-eat churrascaria and pizzeria. (That type of marriage is illegal in several states.) Here's how it works: Under the tutelage of a Celebrity chef, one member per party transforms into the "grill master," an everyman superhero who selects the cuts, applies the rubs and sears the meats. Choose your grill master carefully -- our filet came out pleading for its life. (It was returned to the grill and then eaten.) Appetizers come in the form of made-to-order pizza -- kneaded and topped by a passenger pizza-maker -- and selections from the salad bar.

Nearby is the Porch, a casual, new-to-Silhouette venue serving paninis, fruits and salads for breakfast and lunch. The Porch, whose design is inspired by a rich guy's porch in the Hamptons, carries a $5-per-person cover.

Lawn Clubgoers can also order picnic baskets from the line. These start at $50 and might include sandwiches, sides and desserts. A bottle of wine also comes standard.

Back inside, the standard cluster of Solstice-class alternative restaurants is located on Deck 5 (Entertainment Deck). These include Murano, serving rich French-Continental cuisine ($35); Tuscan Grille, a northern Italian steakhouse with lovely wake views ($30, try the ribeye); Blu, the Mediterranean restaurant focusing on ever-so-slightly lighter fare (ahi tuna, grilled chicken); and Qsine, a quirky venue where passengers order off iPads, and no dish is served on a standard plate. (A Middle Eastern sampler comes in what looks like an Ikea shelving unit, while spring rolls are served in actual metal springs). It's $40 per person to dine at Qsine. Two caveats: First, Blu is designated for passengers staying in Silhouette's AquaSpa cabins (who eat free), but the venue is available nightly to everyone else on a first-come, first-served basis and for a $5 fee. Second, Celebrity offers alternative dining packages, bookable in advance, that offer savings of some 20 to 30 percent over retail.

If you're not full yet, there are more dining options in Silhouette's indoor public hub, encompassing Decks 4 and 5. The two-deck space is airy -- which means the scent of cooking waffles from the gelateria and crepes from its creperie are free to waft. It's almost as if Celebrity is pumping the drool-inducing smell through the ventilation system. It's the type of scent that seeps in the subconscious ... and makes you want to pay $5 for crepes at Bistro on 5 or a few dollars for chocolate gelato in a waffle cup. The venue also sells specialty coffee drinks.

Finally, the room service menu, which includes sandwiches, salads and snacks, is offered 24 hours a day

Re: 200$???

Honestly, cruise security is NOT a big deal espsecailly if you check your luggage. No food is going to show up in x-rays as something alarming or something that needs to be investigated. When they scan your bag they are literally looking for things shaped like bottles (for booze) and weapons, thats it.

However due to the nature of this cruise they could be a little more strict. People going on the Jamaica cruise will for sure have a little advantage from hearing how the first cruise went

Also if your trying to sneak in booze use a rum runner (www.rumrunnerflasks.com) they are phenominal used them on my past 4 cruises, shoved three handles worth in checked luggage, each time i was fine.

Re: 200$???

Pretty sure GV will give up at least one drug runner so the GV one can get on board with no problems.

The food may not show up alarming on X-rays, but the last cruise I went on (carnival) took some prepackaged food from my family's bags and stated we couldn't bring any food on board. I had an amazing burrito that I hadn't gotten a chance to eat yet thrown away. I was very sad. And hungry.

Re: 200$???

or I could just travel with a suitcase full of extremely potent edibles from a dispensary and not have to worry about smoking

They scan your suitcases upon embarkation. You cannot bring in outside food or drinks.

Also, you cannot bring bottles of alcohol that you buy in duty free or in the ports back to your room. If you buy rum or whatever out on the islands, they'll take the bottles from you and they won't give them back to you until the cruise is over. all of your bags are scanned every time you come back onto the ship from wherever you've been.

Originally Posted by RandyInHeaven

Devin - how does it feel to know that there are still more women in the world that would fuck me at this very moment than would fuck you?

Re: 200$???

Originally Posted by H_is_O

Honestly, cruise security is NOT a big deal espsecailly if you check your luggage. No food is going to show up in x-rays as something alarming or something that needs to be investigated. When they scan your bag they are literally looking for things shaped like bottles (for booze) and weapons, thats it.

However due to the nature of this cruise they could be a little more strict. People going on the Jamaica cruise will for sure have a little advantage from hearing how the first cruise went

Also if your trying to sneak in booze use a rum runner (www.rumrunnerflasks.com) they are phenominal used them on my past 4 cruises, shoved three handles worth in checked luggage, each time i was fine.

Edit: i replaced do, with due

For the record, Salah, I wouldn't be an idiot and take any chances. They caught us with our bottles AND our granola bars.

Originally Posted by RandyInHeaven

Devin - how does it feel to know that there are still more women in the world that would fuck me at this very moment than would fuck you?

Re: 200$???

FYI I am pretty sure I read you can bring your own bottles of win onto the ship. there's 1 $25 corkage fee at dinner, but you can probably drink them in your room? Maybe this doesn't apply to this particular trip, but it was on the boat's site I think.